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1925
OHC Indian Prince
"Loaned" by Woody Carson
In 1925, Indian introduced a new lightweight model, known as the Prince.
A 21 cu. in. (350cc) side-valve engine powered the bike. The Prince was
a popular item, particularly with Indian's overseas buyers. Also, in 1925,
Velocette introduced their very successful overhead cam model K, the predecessor
of the later KSS and KTT models. One of the first of these was purchased
by Indian, through Charles Franklin for evaluation during the development
of the Prince. Indian chose to market a more pedestrian side-valve, however,
although 12 overhead cam engines were evidently made for racing purposes,
and bear an uncanny resemblance to the Velo. Woody was fortunate enough
to acquire one of these engines which was discovered when the Indian factory
shut down. Woody has fitted the engine into a 1925 Prince rolling chassis
to create the rare bit of Indian history we see here. If they had carried
on with this concept, they could have possibly repeated their TT win of
1911 on a similar bike. Impressions from the Saddle I have not ridden
Woody's Indian, but I have ridden an early K series Velocette, and anticipate
the experience would be similar. The engine has total loss oiling, and
would start easily with a run and bump. The straight pipe would give a
sharp bark, and riding would be fun on a twisty road. I once rode a side-valve
Prince, and thought how nice it would be if it had more power. Woody's
Indian would be the perfect answer!
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